File archiving is a data storage technique that generally involves migrating data from a primary storage device to a secondary storage device (often in an attempt to reduce storage costs). For example, a business may implement file archiving by migrating large amounts of data from disk drives located on employee-operated computers to a more cost-effective mass storage device (such as a backup server). In UNIX (or UNIX-like) systems, file archiving is typically accomplished by generating transparent placeholders that reference files stored in an archive.
Unfortunately, existing technologies for generating such transparent placeholders in UNIX (or UNIX-like) systems may suffer from one or more shortcomings. In one example, while a Data Management Application Programming Interface (“DMAPI”) protocol may generate transparent placeholders in some types of UNIX systems, DMAPI may be unavailable in other types of UNIX systems. In another example, while a stackable file system may generate transparent placeholders in various types of UNIX systems, the stackable file system must be specially ported to a particular type of UNIX system within the operating system kernel.
What is needed, therefore, is a mechanism that facilitates file archiving for any type of UNIX (or UNIX-like) system in an efficient, effective manner.